Oluwatoni Aluko, medical student at Meharry Medical College and the first winner of the Ripple Effect Contest, reacts as she learns she is the recipient. / Joe Baker / Meharry Vanderbilt Alliance

Written by

Carly Bergthold

The Tennessean

A Nashville student’s vision of creating a ripple effect of good around the world brought national recognition Wednesday to Meharry Medical College, a school long known for its emphasis on serving those with the greatest need for medical care.

In a first-of-its-kind national contest, second-year student Oluwatoni Aluko won the opportunity to go on a medical mission this summer to Haiti, where she will work with doctors and aid workers helping the needy.

Aluko was one of two winners of the Ripple Effect Contest, a national award presented by nonprofit Heart to Heart International and Welch Allyn, a distributor of medical supplies.

She won with a 30-second video about her passion for global health, but she didn’t know she was a winner until Wednesday. Representatives from the sponsoring companies held what Aluko thought was an informational meeting. Then, they announced the winner by playing her video.

Aluko wants to focus on primary care and hopes to gain experience with that in Haiti.

“There are barriers to care,” Aluko said. “A lot of times it’s money, sometimes it’s transportation, not having electricity or water. If you don’t address the public health aspect of the care, you’re constantly going to have the same issues.”

Aluko sees education as the way to prevent those issues.

“I eventually want to work in academic medicine, so I hope I can help lead students on these types of trips, particularly students who are underrepresented in medicine. Being able to have a perspective of the world outside our little bubble is really important. It helps you not take anything for granted.”

Aluko knows, though, that preparing isn’t always enough.

“When you go to another environment, sometimes all you have is your stethoscope, your hands, your eyes and your senses,” Aluko said. “It’s really humbling. I hope it makes me a better physician, because I want to do family medicine and primary care. I hope it makes me a better human being overall.”